The long-resilient labor market slowed down a little in May, adding 139,000 jobs, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday.

U.S. job growth over the first five months of 2025 is the worst since the Great Recession. When Donald Trump says the economy is “booming,” he’s wrong.

The Labor Department reported that the U.S. economy added 139,000 jobs in May, as employers slowed the pace of hiring amid uncertainty over economic conditions and policies.

The May jobs report is expected to show hiring slowed while the unemployment rate held flat. The data's release will come as investors closely watch for any further signs of slowing in the US labor market.

Job growth slowed for the second month in a row at private-sector firms, which added just 37,000 jobs in May, according to new employment estimates released Wednesday by payroll company ADP. May’s job gains,

In May, job gains were especially strong in the health care, leisure and hospitality, and social assistance sectors. However federal government employment declined by 22,000 in May and is now down by 59,000 since January. (Employees on paid leave or receiving ongoing severance pay are counted as “employed” in the survey.)

Employers added 139,000 positions in May, down from the revised April number of 147,000. Unemployment held steady at 4.2%.

Tough economic conditions could be the catalyst for AI adoption in corporate America as more companies turn to automation, economists predict.

The number of new jobs created in May slowed to 139,000, a sign the Trump trade wars are starting to make a dent in a resilient U.S. labor market that’s been a bedrock of the economy.